For All the Right Reasons
by DarthBiber
Summary: When the twins find out Remus Lupin was a Marauder, they develop a way to travel back in time. When Harry dies and a new war breaks out, they implement it.
1. 1: Two Prologues

**For All the Right Reasons**

Summary: When the twins find out Remus Lupin was a Marauder, they develop a way to travel back in time. When Harry dies and a new war breaks out, they implement it.

AN: This plot bunny has, in my opinion, the potential to be expanded into a novel-length fic. Currently, however, I do not feel like rewriting the whole canon, or even the key scenes in which I would make a change. Therefore, I decided to end the story after Harry's first night at Hogwarts, letting it stand as a long one-shot, or an slightly expanded plotbunny.

Someday, I might continue here, but for now, my focus is on my other story. If somebody else is interested, I'd even share my ideas to expand the plot.

**First Prologue: Legacy**

_May 28th, 1997_

An unusual, quiet wave of laughter rippled through the crowed by the time Minerva McGonagall, newly appointed Headmistress of the prestigious Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft stepped down from the podium. Unusual not only because Professor McGonagall is wildly known and respected as a stern woman, but also because she is, in fact, speaking at a funeral – the funeral of Remus Lupin.

The event had started usual enough. It was remarkably well attended for a known werewolf, but taking into account that Remus Lupin was even better known as an husband, scholar, educator and war hero, the crowed attending it actually seemed quiet small. In fact, the remaining family had been forced to deny many guests they though to be unappreciated. The first to step up to the podium was Andromeda Tonks, the late Mr. Lupins's mother -in-law, carrying her little grandson Teddy Lupin. She had, already, acquired an unwanted familiarity in events like this one, having buried her own husband Ted, as well as her daughter, Remus's wife Nymphadora the day before, at this very spot. While they decided to hold two services, mostly due to the many lives either magician had touched, the young couple would be afterwards rest together for eternity. So Andromeda appeared more collected than she actually was when she spoke about the young couple's love, their hopes, and their accomplishments.

An endless procession of friends and colleagues seemed to follow her up to the speaker pedestal. The one notable absence, though, was the hero of the wizarding world, young Harry Potter, who, mourning in silence the loss of his last honorary uncle, sat in the second row, right next to where Andromeda had seated herself. In fact, young Harry seemed to be lost in his own world, his strangely dull green eyes staring into nothingness as he completely missed his young godsons attempts to get his attention. Not even his old and new girlfriend, Ginevra "Ginny" Weasley, nor his two best friends, Ginny's brother Ron and his girlfriend Hermione, seemed to be able to get through to him.

Finally, as the last speaker of the day, right before the coffin was to be lowered into the ground, Remus' former teacher, colleague and friend, newly appointed Headmistress Minerva McGonagall stepped up to share her favourite memory. Sizing the opportunity, she finally took her chance to hold her celebration of the life of not only one, but three of her most favourite and most talented pupils, for Remus Lupin's seven years at Hogwarts are undeniably connected to his two best friends, a band of brothers in all but blood, Sirius Black and James Potter, the Marauders and, for the better part of seven years, the undisputed 'it' group in the exclusive boarding school in the cold north of the Scottish Highlands. Nobody choose to mention Peter, may he rot in hell, more than in passing that day.

"And although most will remember the Marauders for their love of pranks, and probably for their spectacular yearly 'Easter Prank Obstacle Course to Breakfast', " Professor McGonagall finished her speech, "what I always found most remarkable in this group of friends was their ability to stay grounded. No, I'm not talking about being put under house arrest by their parents, although I know James' parents especially liked to do that almost every summer. Despite being popular with most of the students, as well as, as I am sure they were aware, quiet a few of their teachers, James, Sirius and Remus always had two favourite kinds of victims in their pranks. Those they felt deserved a reminder that feeling superior is not a trait to aim for, and, of course, themselves. Indeed, one of my most favourite dinners ever at Hogwarts was that so far completely unremarkable, and that in itself should have been a warning for all who knew Hogwarts or the Marauders, Tuesday during the boys seventh year.

All of a sudden, Peter, dressed up as a girl with ridiculously large hair-buns covering his ears, lying sideways on the pedestal before the heads-table, while James, dressed up in a strange, white armour, comes strolling through the main doors.

I still remember Peter's first words, and my confusion when I heard them. His voice was comically high pitched as he exclaimed 'Aren't you a little short to be a stormtrooper?'

For the next ten minutes, James, Remus and Sirius, covered from head to toe in fur and only barking and whining, 'rescued' their princess as they swung through the hall on ropes and got chased by masses of white armour-illusions, while we, the teachers, desperately searched for our wands to put an end to the scene.

I was later on forced to watch 'Star Wars' a Muggle movie that millions, including the Marauders, had seen the summer before, finally allowing me to fully appreciate the magnitude of work those four had put into their prank."

Somewhere in the middle of the crowed sat two normally unsilentable redheads, their mouths hanging open, staring in shock not only because of a side of their former Head of House they had never seen before, but also because, finally, they had solved what they had nick-named the Marauders' Mystery - the identity of the Marauders. Then, in an almost hesitant whisper among the still smiling crowd, Fred broke the silence.

"Forge, did she just...? Did we really find them?"

"Yeah, but do you think that Ronnikins and …?", George answered his brother, equally hushed.

"Probably, although they would have …?"

"They did not really know we searched now, did they?"

"True, oh brother mine. But they are all dead now, so it's all over anyway."

"Well, at least we finally found them, and just imagine what Harry must know. Always knew that boy had it in himself."

"You think we could use some of the things they did for the shop? I can't see Harry complaining, really. What a waste of his legacy, really."

"Well, ", George realised with a grin, "McGonagall will probably know most about them. This is a literal untapped goldmine."

.

_August 7th, 2000_

_Chosen One Raids Dark Hideout_

_Earlier this morning, the Chosen One himself, newly appointed Auror second class Harry Potter managed to locate and successfully infiltrate the biggest hideout of Dark Forces in Britain found since the end of the war. Harry Potter, against calls from a majority of our valued readers, decided to follow a typical career path and joined Auror Academy directly after his defeat of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named three years ago. _

_Potter was available for comment later that day and thanked the Minister for his cooperation. "During the whole planing and observation phase in the past 3 months we have worked closely with the other departments in the Ministry of Magic. The success today is not only due to the great work of Captain Smith and his team (of which Potter is part, comment by tDP), but also due to a good part of the MoM. We could not have done it alone. Rest assured, though, I will not rest until our world is finally safe."_

_Already, calls are being made for the Boy-Who-Lived to be promoted or to be awarded on of the prestigious lifetime seats in the Wizagamont._

_See page 4 for the whole interview with Harry Potter_

_See page 7 for the list of captures_

_See page 9 for a time line of the post-war clean-up_

With a singe, George looked across his cauldron, which contained the latest batch of their new ear-growth-potion, and simply commented to his brother, "And to think we had such high hopes for him."

Fred, with an almost identical look on his face, confirmed "Unfortunately, he just had to join the establishment."

"Pitty we can't change that..."

.

_April 4th, 2002_

_Dark Forces still entranced in Britain – Ministry forms Committee_

_In order to counter the dark forces still remaining in hiding throughout all of Great Britain and their recent uprising, Minister Kingsley Shacklebolt today announced the formation of a new Anti-Dark Committee made up mainly from veterans of the last war. In fact, the whole list reads like a who-is-who of the final battle, chief among them Harry Potter, the Hero of the Wizarding World, and Lucius Malfoy, Dark Arts expert and Politician._

"_Even now, 5 years after the war, some of out citizens are afraid to be out alone after the dark. " Minister Shacklebolt said in his speech. "It is about time for us to finally regain control over our own country. I fully expect the commission to create various mid-term solutions in the near future and to see complete results within the next 5 years."_

_In the aftermath of the press conference, Lucius Malfoy, who changed sides during the war and who's wife was instrumental in the final defeat of You-Know-Who, commented: "It's an honour and a chance for me to even be considered for this position. I'll do my very best to finally bring this country onto the right path. I have been looking forward to a chance to serve my country for years."_

_Auror Potter was unfortunately unavailable for comment._

_See page 5 to 7 for a short biography of the 9 committee members_

_See page 8 for an overview of recent dark activity_

Unbelieving, Fred stared at his brother and back down at the paper. "They see a problem, and they talk about it? With Malfoy, nonetheless? And Harry joins in with that?"

"Seems like the war again, doesn't it? With politicians talking while good men and women are dying. Still, I can't believe that Harry doesn't see it...", George trailed of with a frown.

"Don't forget he's part of the establishment now. Firmly entranced, really. Ginny even forces him to go to all those parties and functions and ministry balls and be chums with Malfoy and the like."

"Poor sod, we really lost him, I think. Can't change that."

.

_November 23rd, 2003_

_Potter Burn Out?_

_By Sherly Roberts_

_Has the great Hero of the wizarding world finally lost it? Don't get me wrong, Auror Potter is definitely still sane. It would seem, however, that he has, for now, lost the will to fight. In a press conference earlier today, our most valued citizen has announced his retirement from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. "There is still so much left to be done, but I am just as human as everybody else", Potter said in front of an assortment of press and politicians. "I just need to shut down, get a grip on my life again, fill up my reserves, and find my centre, focus and purpose again. There are plenty of talented people out there who will do what is needed."_

_Although Potters retirement is a huge blow for the Ministry and for England, it does not come as a surprise. After the break up of the decade, Potter had to fight a lot of unwanted advances of witches of all ages. At the same time, more and more voices called for the young Lord Potter and Black to finally bring an end to the continuous Dark Uprisings and to take his rightful place in the Wizagamont._

_Potter was unavailable for questions after the press conference. He did not announce when he would return._

_See page 7 for comments_

_What do you think? Owl us your thoughts._

"Well, what did they expect? Even Harry Potter can not simply do everything alone. Or better yet, do everything while working against everybody."

Astonished, George looked over to where his brother sat. "You know, you do have a point there. It does seem as if he somehow had to work against everybody sometimes."

.

_January 5th, 2004_

_Seriously Serious again_

_In the light of the recent attacks by the so far unnamed terror group reminiscent of the feared Death Eaters, 'Weasleys Wizarding Wheezies' and its owners Fred and George Weasley, veterans of the last war, have announced the relaunch and extension of their "Seriously Serious" series. The Seriously Serious concepts was developed in the beginning of the last war, when the two now infamous inventors joined the war effort and marketed a series of light to medium protection gear as well as a range of mild distractions, in the hope that it would allow people under attack to flee or even to fight back._

"_We can not wait for another Harry (Potter, tDP) to rise up again and solve our problems. It is our responsibility to make our world a better place, and to stop this thread." one of the Owners explained._

_The first new item in the Seriously Serious series is, uncharacteristically, a book. "Defense for Dummies – A guide to defence, magic, and everything in 42 pages", promises nothing less than to be a quick start guide for the average witch or wizard to successfully survive this brewing conflict. The most important advice, however, is, according to the two authors, the bold yellow letters on the front cover, reading "Don't Panic."_

_._

_March 16th, 2004_

_Calls for Potter to rejoin the fighting_

_With the number of disappearances rising slowly from month to month, multiple sources, including Wizengamont member Lord Odgen, nephew of the late Block leader, appealed to the hero of the last wizarding war to finally join the fighting, or to be made to._

"_So far, we do not even know who we are fighting. After the disastrous results of the second war against You-Know-Who, our society is simply not prepared to fight another civil war of these proportions. In order to preserve our way of life, this war has to end before it even began.", Lord Odgen explained his decision. "Sometimes, for the Greater Good, some have to make sacrifices to protect everybody."_

_Since Harry Potter's disappearance a year and a half ago, he has not been seen, although there have been unconfirmed sightings all over both the magical and the Muggle world. Sources close to our young saviour report he is living a hermit life away from civilisation and away from magic.''_

_See page 4 for the full interview_

_See page 8 for a list of supporters_

_See page 16 for a time line of the post-War terror_

"This is getting out of hand, brother. You would think Harry has done enough, but at the same time, we really need him." Fred said to his brother.

"True, oh brother mine, but what can we actually do. Harry has sure earned his retirement and no matter what others say, he never really did explore the deeper secrets of magic. He's simply not the second coming of Dumbledore."

"Not that that is a bad thing", George heard his brother mutter. Then, aloud, Fred announced: "It's too bad we can't change that."

His brother's sudden, wide-eyed look of inspiration is one he is quiet familiar with, although he did not expect to see it right then and there.

"Well, do you remember Remus Lupin's funeral?"

"Of course, it probably made us thousands of Galleons. The marauder's best pranks – now for your living room."

"Not that. The other thing. Harry, and how he should have been a prankster."

.

_September 1st, 2004_

_Urgent Special Edition_

_Harry Potter dead – Cult leader Lucius Malfoy exposed as the 'Angel of Chaos'_

_In an display of unmatched cruelty and destruction, the one responsible for the terror nights of the last years presented himself for all to see. At shortly after 4pm in the afternoon, about two dozen black figures, wearing black masks, appeared (whether by Apparition or Portkey is yet to be determined) in the centre of Diagon Alley. For unknown reasons, the group of outlaws quickly started throwing potent and destructive Dark Magic, displaying a clear attempt to cause death and chaos._

_In the beginning, Magical Britain and her subjects were too much for these Black Angeles (a term not known at that point) to handle. Proofing that we have learnt our lessons from the last war, the shoppers, lead by Hogwarts' newly appointed Professor of Transfiguration, Hermione Granger and her fiancée Ron Weasley, both known war heroes and friends of Harry Potter, quickly closed ranks to protect the children, and seemed to be winning. The fighting stopped approximately one minuet later, however, when a figure clad in blood red from head to toe appeared in the middle of the street, carrying the dead body of our beloved Harry Potter. In an almost absurd display of clichés, he started to introduce his band of followers, the Black Angels. Meanwhile, an shield ward of unbelievable strength held back the desperate attempts of the crowd both to reach Potter and to flee._

"_In the end, it was almost absurdly easy to get to Potter. Once we found him, his wards were weak and he seemed to have no will to fight, and no real knowledge of magic. As powerful as Potter was, he was unfit to handle his power. In the end, his mudblood heritage shone through. It's mine now, though. Behold, the Angle of Chaos, the true Lord of Britain!"_

_With a simple wave of his hand (not his wand!), the Angle of Chaos exposed Potters chest and the numerous runes carved into it. The Department of Mysteries later confirmed the rune array as one used in the most disgusting and extremely forbidden 'Ritual of Forced Transfer', which transfers the victims magical power, the maximum amount of magic he or she is able to use, as well as his power regeneration rate, into the initiator. The ritual is forbidden because not only is it most painful for the victim, it also guarantees Death at the end of it._

_Panic broke out in the crowd around the shield. The Black Angles reacted instantly, though, and started hurling explosive and deadly curses into the masses. Few of Britain's proud citizens had a chance to actively fight back with the masses pushing against them and August 30th, 2004 will forever be known as the Diagon Alley Massacre._

_Easily noticeable among the fleeing crowd were Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, who were desperately fighting to reach their fallen friends body. In the end, it was in vain and both were felled by the 'Angle of Chaos' himself. Although this self-styled 'Angle of Chaos' obviously commanded the power of Harry Potter, our two heroes managed to land multiple hits on their opponent, one of which blew of the red cloth hiding the 'Angle of Chaos's identity._

_There is no denying the identity of our newest foe. Lucius Malfoy used to be best known for his expertise and insight into the workings of the terror group. The reason for that quickly became clear and will forever be burned into the minds of the survivors of yesterdays bloodbath._

_Not even three minuets after the first group of Black Angles appeared in the Alley, multiple units of the Auror guard deployed to reinstate order, forcing the enemy to withdraw. Their response time, while almost 6 minutes or 70% better then any seen in the last war, was still too slow._

_Yesterdays attack leaves 84 witches and wizards dead, 14 of them still school-aged and 10 of them Aurors. A further 23 magicians were transferred to St. Mungos for emergency treatment. The centre of our economy lies in ruins and will be unusable until the clean-up can be accomplished._

_Our thoughts today are with those who passed on and their families. May they rest in peace._

One of the main disadvantages of a wizard dealing in the Muggle world is the need to be out of communication every once in a while, so the two owners of the wizarding world's most successful start-up were far away when the attack happened and only later found a newspaper reporting the events.

It was rare to see Fred and George Weasley both speechless. This article, though, was easily able to manage that.

"Do you think it is ready? Because it just might be time to use it.", Fred asked his brother.

"Actually, the timing is perfect. Hogwarts is easily the most magical place we've ever been to, and the school-year starts today. We should easily be able to use the magical concentration to target our voyage, and to focus our portal. Do we have everything planned out, though? Are we sure, this will actually improve things?"

"I really don't fancy staying here and finding out just who all was at the alley yesterday."

With a grim look, George stood up and moved to the back of the room. "Let's do this, then."

.

_September 1st, 1989_

With a start, two identical red-heads awoke in the first year Griffindor dorm room of the Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft, far up in the north of Scotland.

Quietly, as not to awake the their room mates, they turned to each other, grinned, and muttered:

"Mischief"

"Managed".

_._

**Second Prologue: Improvisations and Preparations**

In another time, in the height of the war, the snap of a twig would have caused George to spin around and reach for his wand. Now, though, he sat well hidden amongst the high bushes on the back side of Hogwarts, digging along the castle's mighty walls, and was well aware just who had just arrived behind him.

"Did you get it?"

Unseen by his brother, who was still mostly focused on the wall before him, Fred waved a piece of parchment through the air. "Please. Breaking into Filch's office has been a challenge to third year, at best. Now, it is simply boring. A little disillusionment, a small Muffilato, tipped with a hint of Alohomora."

George turned back to his brother for the first time. "You are sure nobody saw you? You should not know these spells, let alone be able to cast them, remember?"

"Relax, brother of mine," Fred grinned, "contrary to you, almost everybody is in the Great Hall, enjoying their first lunch at Hogwarts. How is it coming along?"

George turned back to the small hollow he had formed in the sand, uncovering a band of runes on the base of the wall. "I found the right section. This here is the anti-portkey ward. Now, all I have to do is add the override we worked out last night and charge the new array."

Fred frowned. "Are we really going to mess with the Hogwarts wards just to sent a few letters? Isn't that a bit, overkill?"

"Well, it is still better then doing it for a prank like we did last time." George argued dryly. "I recon this will take another half an hour, at least. Why don't you go organise some food before classes restart? We won't get to the forest until tonight, anyways."

"I still think we should simply raid Snape's supply. After all, who would suspect two little firsties to be able to break those anti-theft wards. That way, we can sleep tonight, for a change."

George gave an annoyed sigh. "You know we need to stay low key. Besides, at some point selling potions might actually provide us with some income, as well. If we keep stealing, Snape will catch us eventually."

"Damn, I forgot we don't have the shop anymore yet." Fred exclaimed.

"Only you could butcher a language like that, oh brother mine."

.

In a dusty, dark chamber deep in the heart of Hogwarts, two students bent low over several cauldrons, checking colour, consistency and temperature of their brews constantly.

"How is that nutrition potion of yours coming along, Fred?"

When his brother wordlessly held up five fingers, George nodded in satisfaction. "By then, I should have the combiner done, as well. I hope our recipe is right."

"One would think we have brewed it often enough, for you to stop worrying." Fred replied absently. Indeed, the combiner was arguably their greatest invention and the root of their success. Normally, potions had to be stored separately, in some cases even kept in gold cauldrons to prevent interaction of the highly magical brews with the glass of the storage jar. Their combiner potion, however, absorbed the magical properties of all introduced potions, allowing them to create new ones out of combinations of already existing inventions.

Their most selling article, for example, the traditional canary cream, worked only because the transfigurative potion did not interact with the voice altering potion. Without the combiner, the explosion of mixing the two would have destroyed a good cauldron. If you added the chocolate to the mix, as well, you might even loose a whole room.

"Let's check again. I want to be sure we have everything we need." Fred's voice brought George out of his musings.

Immediately, he pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill, reading the list they had created in History of Magic a few hours ago. "Nutrition Potion. Skelgrow. Combiner. Skin absorbant potion."

"Check."

"Notice-Me-Not and Muggle-Repelent wards, located on the paper, keyed to us and Harry and a confundus charm on Harry the moment he touches the letter to prevent him from talking – never mind, I've got that here. Letter?"

"Drafted, waiting for you to proof-read." Fred confirmed.

"Photo?"

"Darn! I knew I forgot something. We were supposed to discover Hagrid's after dinner. Think we can sneak out, already?"

"We should." George speculated. "But maybe we have an alternative that is closer. I'd like some sleep tonight, as well."

"Library – the yearbooks?" his brother proposed.

"Nah. To impersonal. Besides, they would have two sperate pictures. Harry will want of both of his parents together."

"Snape probably has something of Lily flying around we can nick." Fred grinned.

"Same reason, or can you see him having something of Prongs as well? To bad Slughorn is not around, anymore yet." George denied.

"Ha! You used it as well." Fred exclaimed. "Do you think McG has that wedding picture on her mantle-piece, already?"

George leaned his head to the side for a moment, his eyes twisting in deep thought. "She might, even if it shows Padfoot in it. Flitwick, however, has one for sure, and he has patrol tonight."

"Do you think we can take the personal wards of a charms master? Flitwick is good, don't forget that." Fred put in.

"He is, but do not forget that we already know his ward scheme. He has not even optimised his layout since the Marauder's left school, since we have not pranked him yet." George explained, causing his brother's eyes to shine in joy. "Besides, McG is sleeping in her quarters, already, and I really don't fancy getting caught in there."

Half an hour later, the pair had successfully copied the memoria of their small charms professor, bringing their loot back to their hideout.

"So, anything else?" George questioned his brother as he dipped his quill into the inkpot, intending on copying the draft his brother had written onto the back of the ward scheme he had skillfully crafted on a parchment.

"Do you think we can attach a monitoring ward to the letter to jump onto Harry. You know, just in case he gets in trouble and we can do something to help." Fred proposed.

"I don't know. Something to keep in mind for the next letter, after we had a chance to do some research and play with a couple of numbers."

"Okay, so let's write this thing."

As George's quill touched the surface of the ink, Fred whipped out his wand and pointed it at the well. _"Illuminus. _No need for the whole surface to shine. The ink will do to make it readable._"_

His brother nodded in agreement. "Good thinking. And maybe you should be the one to write, also. Your penmanship is much better then mine. By the way, how do we sign the letter? 'Fred and George' is probably a bad idea if we are to remain anonymous."

"How about WT? You know, for 'Weasley twins'?" Fred proposed. "That way, we might even give the impression there is only one of us."

"Nah. We use 'we' all the time in the letter. But maybe W&T?"

"And we can even interchange the letters, writing T&W sometimes to further veil our identities. I like it."

Ten minutes later, Fred looked up to his twin. "Did you freeze the photo, yet? It would not do for Harry to get a moving picture, already."

With a simple sticking charm, the pair covered the complex array of runes with Lily and James Potter's expanded wedding picture, before sliding the combined paper into a large envelope.

"Portus!"


	2. 2: Out of the Blue

**Chapter 2 – Out of the Blue**

With a tired sign, a young boy with messy black hair and bright green eyes let himself fall back into the darkness behind him. School had restarted again today, which was of course "no reason at all to slack with his chores", as his aunt had explained after he came home in the afternoon. Consequently, Harry Potter spent the next four hours cleaning the backyard and his cousin's second bedroom upstairs. He seemed to have done a good job with it, too, since his aunt had given him two slices of bread and a whole piece of cheese before sending him to bed.

His bed, if you could call it that, was just next to the kitchen, in the small cupboard under the stairs, and consisted of nothing more than the small, lumpy, old mattress of the cot his cousin had outgrown years ago. For Harry, however, it was his little piece of heaven, where his relatives seldomly came, and where he was left alone with his thoughts and dreams.

The next morning usually came early for Harry. To be able to catch a shower before school - and after yesterdays yard work one was definitely needed - he had to be upstairs before his relatives escaped Morpheus' realm enough to hear the water running, and be back downstairs in his cupboard before they left their rooms not long after 6am. Things seemed to work like a charm today, and Harry back in his cupboard with many minutes to spare.

Upon entering, though, all his euphoria, all his thoughts, really, were disturbed by a weird looking envelope sitting on top of his mattress. An envelope, which seemed to be made of really old paper, with a slight yellow tint to it, and, more importantly, which carried his name on its front. Feeling true excitement welling up in him for the first time since his elementary school teacher had congratulated him on his first graded homework – the best in class, she had said – Harry immediately disappeared into his cupboard and positioned himself to use the light falling in through the front doors glass elements to read. Strangely enough, though, despite the small amount of light he actually had available, he had no problems to make out the letters. Carefully, his finger never leaving the page as he traced his line, the little boy started to read, mouthing the words silently.

_Dear Harry, _

_First of all, please do not worry or wonder endlessly about how this letter found its way into your cupboard. We are, unfortunately, not able to tell you how, but we can promise that you will find out someday. We can tell you, though, that you do not have to worry about your relatives finding it or destroying it, or about not having enough light to read this, for the same reason. Go on, try it out. You will be able to read this even in complete darkness._

_We, that is, my brother and I, are friends of yours, Harry, even though you have never met us yet. We are closer to your age than your parents', but our parents were friends of yours. As such, we grew up with stories of these wonderful people, and we wished to help out their son._

_Unfortunately, it is important that you do not tell your relatives about this letter. They might not understand or appreciate our intention, and give you trouble for it. Also, you should probably not mention the things we tell you to them._

_Before we begin telling you about your parents, the wonderful Lily and James Potter, we'd like to turn your attention to the photo of their wedding fixed to the back of this letter. We suspect Petunia is not keen on keeping photos of her sister, so enjoy this one while we try to find more for you._

_Your mum and dad met on the train ride that brought them to Hogwarts, an exclusive boarding school in Scotland they attended – and you will, too, by the way, once you turn eleven. For your dad, it was love at first sight. Even at eleven, he was sure he was going to marry your mum._

_Unfortunately for him, though, your mother was not interested in him, and even considered him immature (that means not grown up). She never had another interest, either, though, and the two finally started dating around the time they both turned seventeen and became head boy and girl respectively._

_Both of your parents were very intelligent, and received very good marks all throughout their live. By the time they left school, both of them had received offers for jobs and further studies. First, though, they married, and took a well earned vacation. We know you are prevented from getting good marks in class, but they do not have to represent the work you put into school, or the knowledge you gain there._

_In the end, your mother decided to further her education, while your father joined the police force, quickly rising through the ranks and distinguishing himself as an able detective, working hard to make the world a safer place for the son who had just announced his arrival – a son he and his wife would later name Harry._

_Unfortunately, his work made him enemies, and one of them, a gang leader who had killed many people, sought revenge and invaded your home. Your parents sacrificed themselves so the gangster would not harm their son, and miraculously, you survived the fire in your home with nothing more then a scar on your forehead._

_Your father's, and later both of your parent's closest friends were nicknamed Padfoot and Moony, two schoolmates sharing a dormitory with him. Together, they were revered as the Marauders, a group of jokesters engaging in the most noble art of pranking to brighten the day of their fellow students and bring justice to those doing wrong._

_We'll let you go for now, but we will write again, to tell you of their pranks and your parents. Until then, we remain joyfully, _

_Your friends, _

_W&T_

Stunned, Harry continued to stare at the letter, rereading parts of it and turning it to inspect the photo fixed to the back. Never before had he seen pictures of his parents, or heard stories about them, other then that they had died in a horrible car accident.

Slowly, his fingers traced the scar on his head. His aunt had told him he had gotten it in the car accident that killed his parents, but somehow, he had never believed her. For the first time, he truly understood that the old wound did not signify a connection to his parents, but was a constant reminder of their death.

Movement on the stairs finally brought the young boy's attention back to the present. After a last, longing glance at the letter, and especially the line promising more to come, he carefully tucked the thin sheet of strange paper under his small mattress, before crawling out of the low entrance to his cupboard to start the oven and prepare breakfast.

Strangely, non of the usual stiffness that a day of yardwork and a night in a small cupboard usually brought, plagued Harry today. Indeed, he felt better then he had in a long time – well rested, not that hungry, and strangely energised. For the first time ever, he entered the Dursley kitchen with a small smile on his face.

Exactly one months passed before the small boy received the next letter, filled with photos and stories of his parents. One more would arrive every month.

_Good Morning Harry, …_

_Hello Harry, …_

_Hi Harry, …_

_Marry Christmas, Harry, ..._

_Greetings, young friend, …_

_Bonjour, little one, ..._

_Salute, Harry, …_

_Good Day, muchacho,..._

_Hey Harry, …_

Fred and George smiled wildly as they left the Hogwarts Express. They had already wished their friends a good summer, and had made plans to get together for some Quidditch and school shopping later on.

It had been surprisingly easy to reconnect to their old friends, and make a few new ones, especially considering the sudden age difference between them. At times, of course, the twins would disappear, or seek out more mature conversation, but the two pranksters had never lost their youthful joy that had intially connected them to Lee-Jordan and their Quidditch companions. Of course, originally, they had only gotten to really know the later when they joined the team in second year.

Jumping a little, Fred tried to spot his family over the sea of heads. "Man, I miss being tall." he mumbled to his brother, who nodded solemnly. Finally, though, George lightly nudged his brother and pointed to a familiar flash of red in the crowd.

Exuberantly , the two brothers closed their arms around their younger siblings, pulling them into a heartfelt hug. "Man, we missed you guys. It is great to see you again. Thank you for coming to pick us up."

The last time around, both Ron and Ginny had later on expressed their regret at the changes all their older brothers had gone through, that ultimately led to an estrangement of the family and an insecurity in the younger siblings, suddenly doubting their worth. This time around, Fred and George had early on decided to make sure the two nestlings felt appreciated and were well-guided.

"We are so sorry we did not have a chance to come home for Christmas, but the castle is just so huge, we had to really take the time to explore it to finally stop getting lost all the time." George misled easily as he saw Ginny open her mouth to question them.

"On the plus side, " Fred added, "we can now show you around, and help you navigate the school once you two join us. And until then, we can tell you all about Hogwarts and the teachers."

Happily, the Ron and Ginny trudged past her brothers as they greeted their parents, waved to their friends, and then began to happily chat about the Giant Squid – "he's actually really gentle"; the Great Hall's ceiling – "bewitched to look like the sky over the astronomy tower" - and the castle ghosts - "Binn's, the history teacher, is just boring, but most of the other ghosts are actually quiet nice, once you get to know them. Of course, Peeves will still try to prank you" as they pilled into the small Ford Anglia their father had brought just recently to tinker with.

The two twins shared a secret smile when they first saw the light blue car, remembering the adventure they had in it, and the even larger adventure their brother and Harry had later on.

A few nights later, Fred stopped his treck up to their bedroom when he glanced Ginny playing with her Harry Potter dolls in her room, already dressed for bed. He and George had long since decided to have this talk, but had yet to find the right moment. Hesitating for a moment to think of what to say, he finally knocked lightly and stepped inside.

"Hey Gin-Gin. What are you doing?"

"Hey!" Ginny smiled brightly, causing Fred to hesitate once more. She seemed so naive and innocent, and he was about to take a small part of it away. "Do you want to play my Harry Potter doll? I'm playing our wedding."

Heavily, Fred plopped down on the bed. "Look, I wanted to talk to you about that, and about Harry Potter in particular."

Big, hopeful brown eyes fixed him unblinkingly from where she was sitting cross-legged on the floor.

"What is it? Did you meet him yet? Oh my god, what is he like? Do you think he will marry me? Did you get an autograph?" she rambled, before blushing embarrassed as Fred gently laid his had over her mouth.

"How about you let me say what I am trying to say, and then, if you really want to, you can ask your questions."

Silently, with his hand still covering her mouth, Ginny nodded, causing her brother to pull his hand back.

"You know I love you, right? And I never want to see you get hurt." Fred began eventually, causing Ginny to nod quickly. Fred smiled. "That's why I wanted to talk to you about this now. I am sure you know that Harry Potter is younger then Ron is, right?"

Again, Ginny nodded, although this time more slowly, and her brows scrunched in confusion. Amused, Fred noted her pressing her lips tightly together, as if to hold in a question threatening to burst out.

"Have you ever heard Ron talking about marrying somebody? Or even talking about girls?"

Ginny shook her head vigorously. It was well known Ron thought that girls were yucky. She was just happy he was still playing with her.

"What about me, George, or even Percy?"

This time, Ginny took a moment to think before shaking her head again, this time more slowly. Finally, she could not help the question escaping her lips. "But I talk about marriage all the time. Do you mean that Harry Potter does not want to marry me?"

Her voice was low, and trembling as she tried to hold the tears threatening to fall, causing Fred to immediately slide of the bed and wrap his arms around her, rocking her softly.

"What I want to say," he finally whispered in her ear, "is that Harry is just Harry. He is just a little boy like Ron, who likes to have fun, to play and to eat. Boys take a lot longer to think about these things, so it is perfectly normal for Harry not to, either."

"But Harry Potter is a hero. He is different." Fred was happy to hear the sobs slowing and the tears stopping, even though his baby sister's voice sounded far too determined for his liking.

"The Harry Potter you read about in books is a fantasy. He is like the Babbity Rabbity, something somebody imagined a long time ago, and others retell all the time." he explained gently.

"But there are so many books about him in the grown-up section. I saw them when mummy took be to Diagon Alley last week. He must be real." Ginny protested.

"There is a small boy named Harry Potter, who defeated You-Know-Who, but I am sure if you asked him, he would tell you that it was the day he lost his mummy and daddy. He is just a lonely boy, just Harry, who wishes he still had his mummy to hug him and hold him when he falls, or to heal his leg." Gently, he petted her knee his mother had healed earlier today, when Ginny fell running around in the yard, scrapping it.

"So the books and daddy are lying when they talk about the great Harry Potter?" Ginny seemed confused now.

"Of course not, love. Just as Babbity Rabbity is not a lie, but a story. You wanted to hear more stories of the great hero, so dad thought them up." Fred explained carefully, well aware that the stories his dad had told could be seen as lies.

"Then I can be the one to hug and hold and take care of Harry?" Ginny finally exclaimed joyfully.

Fred stared a little bit wide-eyed. Firstly, because for the first time, she had called him just Harry, not Harry Potter, but also due to the conclusion she had arrived at.

"How do you think Ron would react if you were to walk up to him and hug him, all of a sudden?" he steered carefully.

"He would hug me back." Ginny ascertained.

"He would." Fred confirmed. "But imagine Luna doing the same, or a girl from the village he does not know at all? To hug a person, they have to be your friend, first, otherwise, they will wonder what you want from them."

Ginny nodded slowly. "So I have to be Harry's friend, first. And then, I can hug him, and then, I can marry him."

"So you can try to become Harry's friend, and maybe, when you are as old as Charlie is, and if Harry likes you, and you still like him, you can see if you can not become something more then friends."

"Okay." Ginny finally acknowledged after a moment of thought. "So will you play with me? Maybe Harry and Ginny and Luna can play dolls together? Or maybe go out to swim?" She stopped for a big yawn.

"Actually," Fred interrupted gently. "I think it is way past your bed time, Gin-Gin."

Ginny opened her mouth to protest, only to be interrupted by another yawn. "Will you tuck me in, then?"

Smiling wildly, Fred waited for her to climb onto her bed, before carefully pulling the covers up under her chin.

"Sleep tight, sis." He whispered, before pressing a kiss to her forehead and quietly leave the room.

Surprised, he started a little when he found his father waiting for him in the shadow of the opened door, clearly having been listening in.

"You have changed." Arthur stated quietly. "You have grown up a lot."

"Hogwarts does that." Fred confirmed just as gently. "Both George and I matured when we left home, and went into the unknown. It is the natural course of live. How long were you listening?"

"Long enough. About since the time you first talked about books and bedtime stories. Bill, Charlie and Percy were not as affected." his father pointed out.

"George and me had a lot more growing up to do. Maybe we simply pulled ahead, now."

Arthur shrugged his shoulders in confusion. "No matter what it is, son, I am proud of the man I have seen in there."

Fred smiled gently. In a way, he took his father's remark as his agreement to the plan his twin and he had come up with. While Arthur Weasley had always put his family first, he was never one to express his feelings. Impulsively, Fred drew his father in a tight hug. "I love you, dad."

"I love you, too, son." the Weasley patriarch echoed just as quietly as his son loosened his hold. Moments later, Fred had disappeared up the stairs and into the room he shared with his brother.

"I had that talk with Ginny." he reported when George looked up to acknowledge him. "I think I got through to her, but we should still keep an eye on her."

His twin nodded in agreement. "She dreamt of the boy-who-lived for years. It is not going to change over night."

"Dad heard." Fred stated simply after a moment of silence.

Immediately, his brother's full attention snapped up to him. "What did he say?"

"He said we had grown up, more so then Bill, Charlie and Percy did. I told him he was right, but that we had more growing up to do, as well. He seemed satisfied."

"I honestly never thought about what our family would think about us growing up so fast." George admitted. "Of course, we tried to minimise the differences, but all in all, well, you know."

Fred nodded, signed and finally stood up, tapping a small rune his brother had carved into the side of the doorframe their first night back. Moments later, a silencing ward settled over the room, ensuring that only hushed, uncomprehendable whispering was able to penetrate the walls – just enough not to attract notice.

"It is a good thing we came back when we did. The first year at Hogwarts is perfect. Any other time, and our friends or family would have noted the difference easily." George finally spoke freely.

"Do you ever think about whether what we did was right?" his brother questioned finally. "Harry and Hermione always told us about the arrogance of wizarding folk, and their mad desire to change the world to their whims."

George leaned back and slowly blew out his breath, buying himself time before answering. "Often. Always. I don't know. I think we went back at the beginning of a really bad time. I think we have a chance to improve that. I hope that we did not simply abandon the remains of our family, who had just lost Ron, Harry and Hermione, in a world of terror, fighting desperately in a struggle they can not win. I know, though, that we did what we did, and we can not change that. Now, we simply have to pull through and succeed here."

Fred slid down at the door, until he finally slumped to the floor. "It plagues me. I see their faces all the time, imagine mom crying at our funerals when they do not even find our bodies. I see dad, strong on the outside, upholding the whole family, but breaking on the insight."

George looked over at his brother. "You know the numbers as well as I do. As far as we know, we travelled back in the very time we left from, until we returned to a moment in our own past. We changed the very fabric of our existence. Our family is here, with us, now. The world we came from does not exist any more."

"And if we were wrong?" Fred questioned silently. "What if they suffer even more because of what we did? I think we messed up big time with this one, brother."

"Then we have to maintain in our hearts that what we are doing is the right thing, and we own it to them to do it to the best of our abilities." George reasoned logically, although his face showed conflicting emotions.

Fred seemed to draw strength from his brothers words, however, standing back up and walking over to him. "You are right. We have to go on. We have our family here, happy, so how can they suffer?"

"I am?" George questioned, confused. "Well, of course I am. I'm the smarter one." he exclaimed finally, falling back into their usual banter.

"I am more handsome, though." Fred joked back, before turning serious again. "I think we had to get that off our chests, brother, but now, back to work. We have one more year until Hogwarts. Hop! Hop!"

_Hi-ya Harry, …_

_Happy Birthday, Harry ,..._

_To our scrawny little friend, ..._

_Dear Master Harry, …_

_Morning, sleepyhead, …_

_Hey there, little one, …_

_Ho Ho Ho, and a wonderful Christmas to you, little friend, …_

_Howdy, partner, …_

_Hello Harry, …_

_Another wonderful months to you, Harry, …_

_Hi Harry, …_

_Hey dearest, …_

_Bonjour, mon ami, …._

Finally, after the most amazing day of small Harry's life – the day a gentle half-giant knocked in his door and took him to discover a world of wonders and magic, Harry found a new letter on his pillow.

_Happy Birthday, Harry,_

_By now, if our information is correct, Hagrid should have taken you shopping in London, and told you about your parents and Hogwarts. Also, by now, you will at least suspect that we are magical as well._

_Hagrid will probably have told you about Voldemort, and your fame as the boy-who-lived. Unfortunately, it is as bad as it sounds, and many people will try to become your friends to share your limelight. We can only advise you to choose your friends carefully, and hope you will accept our heartfelt oath that we wrote these letters for you mainly because we care about Harry. Also, we see a potential in you we hope to see grow._

_We are sorry to tell you, Harry, that this letter marks the last of our regular correspondence with you. By this time next months, you will be on your way to Hogwarts to learn about magic, but more importantly, to grow as a person and to have fun. There, you will likely learn and feel closer to your parents then we ever could make you feel, so it is unnecessary for us to continue._

_For the past two years, we have told you stories about your parents, about their time at Hogwarts, and, most importantly, about the fun they had. We know your life has not been easy, Harry, but we hope we were able to enjoy our letters, and take some joy out of them._

_You should know that, over the years, we have exposed you to some subtle magic. Some of it, you might realise, looking back, such as the glowing writing (a handy charm called 'Illuminus' cast on the ink) or the fact that your relatives never seemed to find them (every letter had a rune-scheme inked onto the back that included a Muggle-Repelling ward). Also, our system of deliverance is obviously magical (a variation of a magical way to travel called a Portkey)._

_Other uses of our magic were more subtle. We had a monitoring charm transferred onto you, to make sure that you were safe at all times, and to send you help should you need it. Every once in a while, after a particularly bad day, we would infuse the parchment with healing or nutrition potion to help your body regenerate._

_As you can see, Harry, we know a lot about your home life. We hope that you find it in your heart to forgive us for leaving you with the Dursley's, but unfortunately, there was no alternative that was as safe for you. Despite the Dursley's sometimes cruel treatment of you, there were powerful protection around you that saved your life many times._

_You have the potential to be a great wizard, Harry. In fact, you're possibly going to be one of the greatest of your generation. We would like to see that, but the responsibility for what you can achieve, and what you choose to do with this power, remains with you. Over the past two years, we have attempted to show you two role models you can strive up to – your parents, two of the most wonderful people ever to wander our society. We hope you will choose to follow their path._

_Do not forget, though, that your father, down to his dying day, defined himself as a prankster, and rumour says even your mother could be seen participating occasionally. Having fun is just as important as learning._

_Affixed to this letter is our birthday present for you. It is one of only two copies of 'The Prankster's True and Incomplete Guide to Magic and the Wizarding World'. In a way, it is the accumulation of everything we have learnt over the years, focusing on the things you normally do not learn at Hogwarts, but that are so much more important. We have spent the last two years, ever since we began writing to you, working it and hope it serves you well. It is not intended to replace actual research, but should hopefully help you in your entrance to our world._

_Now that you are finally free, we have also removed the compulsion spell from you. We apologise for having to cast it, in the first place, but deemed it necessary to make sure you never got the desire to speak about our letters. From now on, should you wish to, you can talk about the content of these letters. It might mean a lot of trouble for us, if we were ever to be revealed, so we asked you to do so cautiously, but nobody at Hogwarts will punish you for it._

_We will be in touch every once in a while, and will always be there for you when you need us._

_Welcome to our world, and Happy Birthday, _

_WT_

_P.S. While magic of kids after they started Hogwarts is controlled, students prior to their first year are assumed to lack the skills necessary to do magic. As such, feel free to practise. For example, 'finite incantatem' will dispel simple charms, like the freezing charm preventing the photos we sent to you from moving slightly._

Exited, but also a little sad, Harry opened the other package, surprised by the small size of the parcel. As he opened the completely blank cover, though, he was surprised to find the table of contents stretching over dozens of pages. Non of the chapters, all written in a dim red, had page numbers on it, though, and the book ended with the end of the content.

A note on the back of the cover finally solved the riddle. 'Simply tap the chapter you are interested in. The book will then show it. If you do not know a word in the text, tapping it will bring you to the corresponding chapter, or its definition. Already read chapters will turn green in the content. Using our copy, we can theoretically add further content, should we deem it necessary. Then the book's outside will turn completely red. Tap the top of the page to go back to the content, the left side of the page to return one step, or the right side to reverse that and go forward. We origanized the chapters by how we'd recommend reading, but feel free to skip or double back as interest takes you.'

Exited, Harry tapped the first chapter. Slowly, the writing on the page blurred, before reforming into completely new words.

_History of the Wizarding World – An Overview_

_While a prankster does not necessarily need knowledge about the history of the world he lives in, a solid foundation quiet often proves to be advantageous in understanding contexts and behaviour of people. This guide, therefore, starts off with a quick overview of the History of Magic, quickly focusing on the History of Magical England._

_Controlled magic can be traced back to the roots of human civilisation in Mesopotamia. The Egyptians were the first magicians to organise themselves, however, to teach the coming generations and expand their own knowledge. Up to the European Dark Ages, Wizarding kind has been revered by non-magical humans for their longevity and the accompanied wisdom._

_In the church controlled ignorance and fear of the Dark Ages, however, Wizards and Witches alike were hunted and, although seldomly, caught, to be tortured and burnt. In response, the Warlocks Council of 814AD in Reims announced the complete seclusion of the magical world. In 817, the monks of the oracle of delphi worked out the spell to collectively purge the knowledge of wizards from non-magical minds, banning us into fairytales._

_At the time of separation, wizards and witches lived a lot healthier and longer then the average non-magical did. Due to their abilities, they had amassed great fortunes, and were therefore able to afford a much healthier lifestyle, further aided by their magic keeping them vital and clean. As a consequence, the magical world further leaped ahead of the non-magical world._

_By 1000AD, wizards and witches lived in peace and prosperity. With the opening of Hogwarts in 1014AD, schooling became mandatory for all children, leading to a further surge in advancement. The continuos prosecution by non-magicians, as well as the large gap in education of first generation magicians eventually led to racist movements within the magical world, finally ending in a constant, quiet state of war existing between the pro-non-magical 'Light Side', as well as those demanding further distancing from the non-magical world as well as the first-generation magicals._

_With several early victories of Light, most namely the defeat of Salazar Slytherin by his Hogwarts co-founder Godric Gryffindor in 1082 and the subsequent founding of the Ministry of Magic, the Dark was forced to radicalise their tactics, delving deeper into Dark Magic (see chapter: Morals and Magic – Dark and Light Spells)in the process, which later coined their name. Widespread killings and torture eventually became accepted modes of operation._

_Most recent products of this conflict were the war against Gellert Grindlewald, finally ended by Albus Dumbledore, as well as Voldemort's reign of terror, ended by his disappearance._

Once Harry had finished the small article, he tapped the top of the page. Immediately, the content reappeared, and Harry read the title of the next page. For a moment, his finger hovered over '_Hogwarts – Location and Arrival'_, before he reentered the first chapter.

Curiously, his eyes scanned down to the reference given, and his finger selected the chapter on Dark Magic. The dark haired child was curious to find out what could possibly lead a man to murder family and terrorise a country.

_Morals and Magic – Dark and Light Spells_

_In it's essence, Magic has no moral. Whether a spell is good or bad is completely influenced by its use and the castors intentions. Yet, the Ministry of Magic keeps extensive lists of illegal or 'dark' spells, and punishes their use with varying severity._

_The magic discussed in this chapter seldomly has use for a true prankster, yet, it is important to recognise and know these spells, both to avoid them, and to identify them in possible combats. After all, many people do often times not take kindly to a good laugh._

_The Ministry of Magic defines Dark Magic as 'spells, potions or rituals that are performed or created with the single purpose of harming another sentient being' (Law of Wizarding Britain, §47, section 5). For further clarification, it regularly updates and publishes aforementioned lists._

_Subsequently, Light Magic is defined simply as 'all magic that is not dark' (Law of Wizarding Britain, §47, section 6)._

_While these definitions are, for the most part, correct, the definition of dark magic in particular has blurred over time. Many pieces of magic have been identified as dark not because they can be only used to harm another, but because they are mostly used to harm._

_The oldest, and at the same time most conclusive definition of Dark Magic is vastly different._

_Dark Magic, by its very nature, is more powerful, but evil. Instead of only drawing on your magical core, it draws on your your very soul as well, leaving a mark for every use. These marks will change you, and in turn lower you inhibitions to commit evil._

_The three most illegal curses in existence, the Killing Curse, 'Avada Kedavra', the Mindcontrol or Imperious Curse 'Imperio', and the Torture or Cruciatus Curse 'Crucio' are all punishable by a lifetime in Azkaban Prison._

_Yet, the Heartstopper Curse, the Compulsion Charm, and various harmful spells do not carry an automatic sentence, despite bringing equivalent results. Crimes committed using these curses are, of course, still crimes, but magic itself is not illegal, because it is not addicting._

Harry stopped reading, despite still having a bit of text left. Already, he understood the importance of a proper order of reading, as several words and concepts were still unknown to him. From what he had understood, however, Dark Magic made you do evil things, and was used to do evil. Therefore, it was not something he wanted to be associated with – he did not think his parents would have approved.


	3. 3: Changes

**Chapter 3: Changes**

"_All students are bound by school rules to arrive on September 1st using the Hogwarts express unless for emergency reasons, in which case the school is to be contacted. School rules furthermore dictate, that no student is to arrive at Hogwarts independently. (Hogwarts Charter §26-29)_

_A true prankster should, however, make sure to arrive at Hogwarts in stile, should he ever miss the express, which is of course impossible with a teacher escort._

_Taking the Hogwarts express, however, is strongly recommended due to the wonderful chance to meet new friends, and catch up with old ones._

_The scarlet red train leaves from King's Cross station in the centre of London at eleven am sharp. To prevent our fellow non-magical human beings from noticing large numbers of children leaving in an extravagant old-fashioned steam train each year, a hidden platform has been established between platforms nine and ten._

_To reach the platform, one has to simply pass through the apparently solid stone barrier. First timers are recommended to run to avoid hesitating last moment, but not to close their eyes. Otherwise, collisions on the other side of the illusion are likely, and will lead to minor bodily harm._

_In order to avoid looking absolutely ridiculous touching all stone barriers on and around platforms 9 and 10, it is generally recommended to simply sit and watch out for strange people, preferably with children, walking around. Wizards and Witches in general have no sense of fashion, and are easily spottable for the trained eye by their owls, robes and confusion. For those choosing to try their luck, it is useful to know that Muggles can not pass through, so the barrier a man is leaning against is not automatically excluded."_

_Extract from: 'The Prankster's True and Incomplete Guide to Magic and the Wizarding World' – 'Hogwarts – Location and Arrival'_

Harry felt uncomfortable. His uncle had simply smiled ferally when he had mentioned platform 9 ¾, although his face had fallen when Harry had explained it was hidden behind a walk-through wall. Now, though, as the young wizard was sitting on a bench at the front of the platform, he began to feel weird. No completely strange people caught his eyes, and the security guard had squinted in his direction several times, already. In a few moments, Harry was sure, the man would come over and ask if he was lost, or worse, where his parents were.

"Well hello there, dear." the black haired boy jumped slightly, not having expected the high-pitched voice directly next to his left ear.

"You are not lost, dear, are you?" This time, Harry easily sensed something off with the same voice next to his other ear. As he turned around, he caught sight of two identical, male redheads standing directly behind him, bend over so their heads were next to his, both their faces scrunched up in distress as they manipulated their voices in a way, Harry was sure, that had to leave the throat permanently damaged.

"Hogwarts, dear?" Left asked, still high pitched.

"My twin and I could not help but notice you. Oh my, how adorable." Harry ducked hastily as Right reached forward to pinch his cheek, although he breathed in relieve. Wizards, finally, even if they seemed completely bonkers.

"I am, ah... will... ah... do, ah, Hogwarts, yes. Could you point out the platform for me." he stuttered.

"Oh, yes, of course, my dear. Hold Aunt Georgina's hand, and I will lead you right there." Left held out his hand. Before Harry had a chance to react, though, Right reached over and whacked him over the head, lightly.

"Sorry there. We just could not help ourselves. I'm Fred, and that over there is my lesser twin, George. Tag along, we just have to meet up with our family before we pass through. Mum will be looking for us, already, probably."

"Looking for me?" Harry questioned innocently, finally having caught on to the two brother's game, completely ignoring the other twin's protest at being called lesser. Immediately, George broke out in laughter as he saw his brother's astonished face. "Oh, you got him good there, buddy."

"Well, of course not. At least, I don't think so. You never know, I guess." Before Fred had a chance to continue, a loud female voice echoed through the wide station hall.

"Fred? George?" then, more quiet "Oh dear Merlin, what did those two do now?" At that moment, the voice's owner, a slightly plump, redheaded, middle-aged woman rounded around the pillar Harry was half-hiding behind, having chosen it for its privacy and the good view of the platforms 9 and 10 he had from there.

"Over here mum." Left, George shouted back as he waved wildly. "Just picking up a stray."

While Harry began to protest jestingly loudly at being compared to a rabid dog, feeling confusingly at ease with the two strangers, the woman turned and waved to somebody still hidden from Harry's view. Moments later, however, a balding, redheaded, gangly man, likely her husband, rounded the corner, followed immediately by an apparently endless stream of redheads invading Harry's small sanctuary.

"Well, I seem to have missed a nest, somewhere on the way." Harry muttered mindlessly, before looking up horrified. While most of the family was still too far away to hear him, the twins would have. George ignored his exclamation, though, although his lips twitched slightly, while Fred leaned down to whisper conspiratorially.

"You should see a family gathering. We are still missing my two eldest brothers, who already graduated from Hogwarts, and of course the whole extended family."

"There you two are. Come on, we have to hurry, or we'll miss the Express." The woman, who had finally reached them, scolded her sons, before turning to Harry. "Oh, hello dear, and who might you be? I do hope my two sons did not harass you, did they?" The last part was said with a steel in her voice that made even Harry wince, promising suffering for her sons.

Not wanting to sacrifice his two jesting friends, Harry schooled his face to be completely solemn. "No ma'am. Thank you. They merely found me and offered to take me along to the platform."

Harry could see the twins look of surprise, and threw them a wink over their mother's shoulder as she turned to look at them, astonished. Moments later, her attention was back on him. "A first year? Wonderful, dear. Just tag along with us. It's Ron's first year at Hogwarts, as well."

Harry bit back a laugh as he understood where the twins had gotten their inspiration for their overbearing women earlier from, leaning over as she turned to walk over to the rest of your family.

"Your voices were still too high, I think."

George grinned shamelessly. "I'm afraid I have no idea what you are talking about, but I will let you know that we are working on it."

As Fred gently pushed both of them forwards, finally causing Harry to realise that the rest of the family was already a few paces away, he began introducing his family.

"You already met mum, and the man is obviously our dad. The only girl and youngest is Ginny, then Ron, who will be your classmate, as well, and Percy came before us. He's Prefect in Gryffindor."

"Wow, that's high praise. No flaws at all? He looks a bit uptight, to me. I'm Harry, by the way." Harry fell back into their banter. He enjoyed the twins laid back jokes, and the ability to live up to what he knew his dad's legacy to be.

"A prefect, not perfect, is an older student with some minor supervising duties, really a boring job if you ask us. Nice to meet you, Harry. I think we will get along famously." George explained with a laugh.

"Right, I knew that." Harry deadpanned. He knew indeed. The school system and Hogwarts, as well as several key people had been described in the third chapter of his book.

As they reached a blank spot of wall, almost indistinguishable from all others, the father stopped, causing the rest of the small procession to come to a rest as well.

"Remember that bin over there. It's the only red one, even if the colour is so dark it appears almost as black as all the others, in the entire station, and marks the entrance. It can move, unfortunately, so it takes a good eye to spot." Fred explained, pointing to a small ton behind them. "Dad has years of practise, though."

As he explained, Fred's older brother turned his cart, checked to make sure nobody was watching, and moments later leisurely strolled through an apparently solid wall. Harry, despite knowing what to expect, was amazed. "This is so much more awesome then at Diagon Alley."

"Glad to please, come on." Following the rest of their family, the twins led Harry through the hidden portal. The large steam engine greeting them was more amazing then anything he had ever anticipated, shining scarlet red with the late morning sun reflecting of it's mighty tender.

On the platform appeared to be complete chaos. Countless adults with even more children were running, shouting, or sometimes even disappearing into thin air, while trying to secure a spot in one of the compartments. Harry's head swirled from side to side as he tried to take in the strange new world he had only glimpsed so far.

"Think you can take it from here, Harry?" Fred questioned. "Our friend Lee bragged to bring a tarantula, which we of course have to check out. As a firsty, you are probably going to want to get onboard and grab a seat before it fills up."

As Harry nodded and turned to go, George stopped him. "Hold on." Producing his wand from its holster, he tapped the trunk the small boy was pulling behind himself. "_Reducio._"

Fascinated, Harry watched as his trunk shrunk slightly until he could comfortably hold it, about as long as two books. Bending down, he anticipated to lift a large wait, and was deligated to find it almost weightless. "Thank you."

George shrugged. "You only have to get it to the compartment, since the elves will do the unpacking, but I figured the corridors were small, and well..."

"As I said," Harry grinned. "Thank you. I was already dreading to lift this thing on board."

Still trying to look everywhere at once, the small boy happily strolled off to find a small compartment, while the two brothers were forcefully waved over by their friends.

"Lee, Oliver, Chasers, how are you all doing? Where is that spider we have been hearing so much about?" Fred grinned as he approached, causing the boy to proudly hold out a small cardboard box, and Angelina to smack his arm lightly.

"Ouch!" the victim cried theatrically while his brother briefly hugged the girls. "What was that for? He's getting a hug! I want a hug, too."

Oliver did not hesitate to step forward and envelop his younger teammate in his arms overbearingly. "You just had to ask, sweaty."

Fred pushed lightly to get the larger and stronger boy off of him, while looking at Angelina questioningly.

"He did not chauvinistically group us females to be one and the same." she explained, although her rolling eyes and slight grin made up for the sting of her words.

Fred sank down onto his knees in response. "Oh wonderful Angelina, amazing Katie, benevolent Alicia, will you three ever forgive me. I seldomly swear I did not mean to cause offence."

"So, who was the kid?" Lee asked after a moment, when it became clear the girls were going to let Fred kneel for a few more minutes. "You know, the small one you guys were talking to earlier."

"The one with the seeker's build." Oliver clarified unnecessarily, causing a round of laughter.

"Only you could be that obsessed, Ollie." George finally forced out between his last giggles. "That was Harry. We found him outside, trying to find the entrance. He seems to be OK, and has humour."

"So, can he play Quidditch?" Oliver demanded eagerly.

"We did not ask, but since he arrived from the Muggle side, I doubt he ever flew before. Besides, first years are not allowed to play, either way." Fred explained, well aware he was misleading his friends slightly.

"That was a good answer." Angelina wrinkled her nose slightly. "Oh, all right, you are forgiven. Stand up, you."

Fred did not hesitate to hop back to his feet. "Thank god, that floor is not exactly comfortable. Do I get a hug, now?"

"Well, if you insist." Lee stepped forward, his arms wide, causing his redhead friend to turn and run.

.

_The exact ceremony of sorting is traditionally held a secret to maintain the surprise on arrival. Rest assured, though, that those coming to Hogwarts will not be forced to leave, or perform in a live threatening task on their first evening._

_The sorting takes place directly before the opening dinner, in front of the entire school. The houses are, by their tables in the hall from left to right, Gryffindor, home of the brave and foolish, Hufflepuff, house of the loyal and shy, Ravenclaw, nest of the smart and bookish, and Slytherin, lair of the ambitious and ruthless._

_Generally, the sorting is based on your traits first, but wishes can be taken into account when more then one house are suitable._

_Extract from: 'The Prankster's True and Incomplete Guide to Magic and the Wizarding World' – 'Hogwarts – School, Castle, Home'_

Harry watched the old walls around him in awe. He had spent the beginning of his train ride getting to know the twins younger brother, Ron, before wandering of and exploring the express, meeting a few of his other yearmates on the way. Most of them seemed to be nice enough, and Harry looked forward to making friends with them.

As he entered the hall, he could hear Hermione, a smart first-generation witch, inspecting the ceiling excitedly, as she explained it's function. "It is enchanted to look like the sky above."

Looking up as well, Harry had to admit the sight was impressive. Like outside earlier, the sky was clear, with the moon standing high already, and the first few stars just twinkling through the darkness of the night.

"Like the view from the Astronomy tower, to be more precise." he heard Ron correcting her carefully. "That's where all of Hogwarts' sky studies take place."

Harry did not need to turn to them to know what they would look like, having chatted with both of them on the train. Ron would be blushing, since a couple of people would be looking at him, while Hermione would have her mouth open slightly, as if to inhale the new information she had just been provided with.

Scanning the Great Hall, Harry found the long, white beard he had told to expect to signify the presence of the headmaster, before allowing his eyes to glide along the staff table. The senior staff, McGonagall to Dumbledor's right, followed by Snape, and Flitwick and Sprout on the left, were easy to identify. Quirrell, who he had met on his first outing in the magical world already, was there as well, but most of the other teachers seemed to be skipping the opening feast.

On his left, Harry easily spotted the twins, now dressed strangely conservative in their school uniform, whispering back and forth furiously. Once their eyes met, both gave a nod, and one of them a slight wave of his hand. Judging from the colour of their tie, and the large scarlet and gold banner they were sitting under, Harry correctly guessed them to be in Gryffindor.

"Abbott, Hannah" Professor McGonagall's voice echoed through the suddenly silent hall. Apparently, she commanded the respect or at least the obedience of her students. Curiously, Harry watched the strawberry blond girl with her cutely bobbing pigtails sit down on an ordinary, slightly old stool, before the Professor placed the ancient artifact on her head.

From the slight jerking, and the energical nodding of her head, Harry guessed his future classmate to agree with whatever it was she was told. No matter what it was, though, Harry was sure she was having a conversation with the battered piece of headwear. 'Magic,' the boy finally decided, 'is a very strange thing.'

"Potter, Harry" His musings were cut short when his own name rang through the Great Hall. If possible, it seemed to become even quieter, before the students suddenly erupted into loud whispers. Even up at the teacher's table, Harry could see a sudden pique in interest, based on their sudden concentration and the way most of them leaned forwards, now.

From the other side of the hall, he could hear the overly energetic applause of the twins, and suddenly found himself very grateful for their disturbance. He did not really care to find out what it was his classmates were whispering about him.

Stepping past the remaining first years waiting to be sorted, Harry strangely found himself wondering how he could have missed over half of the ceremony lost in his own thoughts. 'Focus now, Harry, you are about to be sorted.' he rebuked himself moments later.

Thankfully, the sorting hat did not slide completely over his head like it had done for a few of his smaller yearmates. Apparently, the magic WT had cast was helping him out here, once again.

_'Well, what do we have here?" _Harry jumped at the sudden, foreign voice in his own head, before calming himself. 'Maybe this magic thing is not that great. This is actually really creepy.'

_'I assure you, Mr. Potter, you have seen nothing, yet.' _the head explained patiently. _'This world is full of wonders for you to explore. Let's get to the sorting, though.'_

_'How does that work?' _Harry wondered, unsure whether or not the ancient artifact would hear his query.

_'Just let me have a look around up here.' _it explained. _'And then, I will decided where to sent you._

_Oh my, you have potential, there is no doubt, but you do not strive for power. You seek knowledge, but not for power, or even for knowledge itself, but for your parents – to make your dead parents proud. In a strange way, that is extremely loyal.'_

_'Gryffindor. Please, Gryffindor.' _Harry thought desperately.

_'Gryffindor, eh?' _The hat seemed confused. _'You are brave, no doubt, but why Gryffindor? Ah, I see, of course, to be close to your parents, and to find out more about them. You could strive in Hufflepuff. A lot of great people, there. No? Very well, by your wish, then.' _"Gryffindor." The had finally shouted out lowed, causing the leftmost table to erupted into applause. Grinning wildly, Harry hurried over to take a seat opposite to the twins.

"Welcome, then, little lion, to the house of the brave and nobel." One of them, the same one that had waved earlier, greeted immediately.

.

"So, what do you think?" George asked his brother later that night.

"They should definitely serve more chicken during the welcoming feast." Fred answered immediately, before dodging his brothers swat. "Hey, I could have been serious."

"That answer was way to fast not to be prepared beforehand. You knew I would ask." George explained with a sigh. "Seriously, though."

"Of course I did. Well, I thought it was encouraging, so far." Fred explained. "He was a lot more confident then we anticipated, or even hoped. He is playful, jokes, and seems to be more at east."

"I was a bit surprised at how much he joked." George admitted finally. "I mean, he even joined in on joking about our family.

"Well, Percy is an easy target." his twin mused. "I thought it showed confidence – doing the jokes you think are funny, without caring about what others think."

"So, mischief managed, then?" George questioned happily.

"Well see what else happens, but yeah, mischief managed." Fred agreed.


End file.
